Drass coldest at minus 17.6 degrees in Ladakh, J&K

Due to overnight partial cloud cover across J&K and Ladakh, night temperatures dropped further as Drass town recorded minus 17.6 degrees Celsius and Gulmarg ski resort recorded minus 7.6 degrees Celsius as minimum temperatures on Sunday. "Weather is expected to remain mainly dry during this week and due to clear night the minimum temperatures are likely to drop further in J&K and Ladakh," an official of the MeT department said.

Srinagar recorded 0.1, Pahalgam minus 3.2 and Gulmarg minus 7.6 degrees as minimum temperatures on Sunday. Leh town of Ladakh recorded minus 13.8, Kargil minus 12.6 and Drass minus 17.6 degrees as the night's lowest temperatures. Drass is the second coldest inhabited place in the world where the minimum temperature dropped to minus 60 degrees Celsius in January 1995.

Jammu recorded 9.2, Katra 9.5, Batote 1.8, Banihal 2.0 and Bhaderwah minus 1.5 degrees as minimum temperatures. The 40-day period of harsh winter cold known locally in Kashmir as the 'Chillai Kalan' starts on January 21 and will end on January 31. All the perennial water reservoirs of J&K and Ladakh get replenished during this period by heavy snowfall. These perennial water reservoirs sustain all the rivers, streams, springs and lakes during the hot summer months.

Heavy snowfall during Chillai Kalan is regarded as the harbinger of a prosperous summer for farmers and orchard owners in Kashmir.